The Carver Crew

ELEVEN YEARS of MARRIAGE...

About time for some P.D.A.

Yes. P.D.A.-- Public Display of Affection. If P.D.A. makes you cringe, stop reading. NOW! (Don't say I didn't warn you...If you are still reading, then prepare for some major sap!) I'm not talking about the stopped dead in their tracks, oblivious to the fact they are in public kind of physical P.D.A., I'm talking about some good old-fashioned verbal P.D.A. (Although, I'll take the other kind of P.D.A. any day, too!)

Josh and I just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. Eleven years is a long time (although I must admit, the time has flown by). I don't tell him often enough how much he means to me, which leads me to this post. In honor of our 11th, here are E-L-E-V-E-N reasons I am so lucky to have Josh in my life.

1- He is a spiritual man who has always put God first, and by so doing, has been a worthy husband, father, neighbor and friend, always seeking to serve others, often at great personal sacrifice. His incredible spiritual wisdom and discernment has kept our relationship strong & our family on course.

2- He is a man of integrity. His beliefs and principles guide all that he does. He is honest & true to his commitments. "Stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of the circle? No. Never! I'd die first!" --Karl G. Maeser

3- He challenges me to be my best, while lovingly accepting my imperfections. He provides me with the closeness to feel loved, safe & secure, while giving me the freedom to explore my own interests so that I can grow and improve myself.

4- He is an amazing father, always making the children a priority in his life, taking care to let each one know individually that they are loved and cherised. Our children adore him. He brings an extra "something" to their lives that only he can bring.

5- He makes me laugh & smile like no other can. He can also laugh at himself, which is soooo important in this serious world we live in.

6- He knows how to have fun & finds joy in life (even when faced with personal challenges), but doesn't compromise his standards in the process. "Men are that they might have joy."

7- He's athletic and competitive, which keeps me on my toes! He enjoys staying active & fit. ( I think he's had plenty of broken bones to prove his desire to stay active. The next broken bone, better be your hip...and not until you're in your 90s.)

8-He is personable. His love for people and sincere desire to understand and appreciate everyone makes him well-loved by those who have the opportunity to know him.

9- He is amazing at juggling all of his roles and responsibilities, masterfully tackling all that is on his plate (job, church, family), while not losing site of what is most important & making everyone he deals with, feel appreciated and loved.

10- He is easy going & infectiously positive. He doesn't have time for pettiness, gossip, rudeness or fault finding. He is not easily offended & chooses to give people the benefit of the doubt & keep things light. That has blessed our marriage as he has also been so forgiving and understanding.

11- He is thoughtful, kind and helpful. As trite as those qualities may sound, I feel blessed everyday to be married to a man whose focus is not on himself. He is an equal partner in every way & is willing to take on so much to ease my load.

Happy Anniversary Josh! Here's to the next 11 wonderful years!